Types of Games

One can play it inside or outside with an hour glass shape. It has been suggested that this unusual shape developed so the game could be played in Victorian salons, large rooms with doors that opened inward on both sides. In 1901, the official badminton court became rectangular.

Badminton clubs were started throughout England. By 1893, badminton had grown to the point where 14 clubs joined to form the Badminton Association. (Later, when more countries started their own federations, the name was changed to the Badminton Association of England.) This group was instrumental in standardizing the laws of the sport and in starting the earliest and most prestigious badminton tournament, the All-England Badminton Championships.

As badminton spread to more countries, the need for an international governing board became apparent. The International Badminton Federation was created in 1934 and today has its headquarters in Kent, England. These nine countries were the original members of the IBF:

• Canada
• Denmark
• England
• France
• Ireland
• The Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Scotland
• Wales

Today, the IBF has more than 150 member nations. The American Badminton Association was formed in the United States in 1936 and joined the IBF in 1938. In 1978 the ABA changed its name to the U.S. Badminton Association.

From Party Game to Serious Sport

Nearly anyone can pick up a lightweight badminton racket and hit the shuttlecock over the net. Because it’s an easy game for beginners, badminton remains popular at picnics and parties. But badminton is deceptive. It is the fastest of all the racket sports. A powerfully hit shuttle can travel as fast as 200 miles per hour. At the elite levels, the game requires amazing speed, strategy, leaping ability, power and quickness. A player can run as much as a mile during a match.

As the best players moved from the lawns and salons to competitive courts, they naturally wanted to compete against other top athletes. The All-England Championships gave them this opportunity. By 1938, players from other countries began to compete in this tournament. An American woman, Judy Hashman, won 17 all All-England titles—the most of any player in history.

Homes Cup Winner

Basic rules of Badminton:

A sport similar to tennis, badminton is played by either two opposing players (singles) or two opposing pairs (doubles). Players are positioned at the opposite ends of the court, aiming to hit a shuttlecock over the net so that it lands inside the marked boundaries of the court, and their opponents from doing the same. Only the server can win points. Just like tennis, there are five main categories in badminton: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles (each pair is composed of one man and one woman). A game of badminton is played on a court measuring 6.1 m/20 ft by 13.4 m/44 ft. There is a net (0.8 m/2.5 ft deep and a height of 1.52m/5 ft) stretched across the middle of the court where the shuttlecock must be sent over.

The Governing Bodies